2011: Year of the crash helmet

[buksida]

The cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to declare 2011 the year of campaigning for 100 per cent of motorcyclists to wear crash helmets, government deputy spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said.

Under the campaign, all state agencies, state enterprises and local administrations are to make it compulsory for their staff to wear safety helmets while travelling on motorcycles. Violators are to face not only legal action, but also disciplinary action.

The Labour Ministry is to instruct all employers to promote use of helmets.

The Education Ministry is to campaign for students in both state-run and private schools to do the same.

The Interior Ministry is to give an instruction for all local administrations to make sure their staff and students of schools run by them cooperate.

The Industry Ministry's Industrial Standards Institute is to redesign helmets to suit the local climate while the Public Health Ministry is to compile statistics of casualties from road accidents in which victims do not wear a helmet.

The government's road accident prevention and reduction centre announced today that the death toll from road accidents nationwide since last Thursday has risen to 325.

There were 3,227 road accidents, in which 3,453 people were injured.

Chiang Mai had the highest number of fatalities, while Phitsanulok recorded the highest number of accidents.

The biggest cause of accidents was drunk driving, followed by speeding.

Source: Bangkok Post

Thought: Good news, lids save lives, but it would be nice to also see 2011 being "the year to start fining idiots that drive up the wrong side of the road causing more accidents than anything else".

[PeteC]

Simply another knee jerk reaction to the New Year's accident level. To be forgotten about and never heard of again in a month's time......until next New Year. It boggles the mind that the top ruling body in this country has to get involved in an issue like this, where anywhere else it would be handled at the municipal level. Really highlights qualifications and capabilities, doesn't it? Pete

[Spitfire]

Yeah, right!

Maybe they could just make 2011 as the year of applying general law enforcement without prejudice or favour, full stop.

[Terry]

Agree with you both Pete & Spitfire.

Point of interest tho...............

Why is it that I see so many farangs riding around without wearing crash helmets? - Something they dare not do in their own countries.

Is the tarmac or the concrete any softer in Thailand?

[PeteC]

I think it has something to do with being on vacation in a warm beach resort for some foreigners. Bipping around a coastal town listening to the Beach Boys on your Ipod and leaving the cold winter behind.

It's going to be hard enough for them to design a "hot climate helmet" as the article mentions above, near impossible to get the locals to buy them. Over here where I am men and woman commute to work in their yellow factory hard hats and they are not stopped. I guess they qualify as a helmet? Pete

[Spitfire]

Absolutely Prcscct ,

It's the misguided fcukwit factor and the "It won't happen to me" syndrome that is common practice here Terry amongst the roving tourists and some 'I can't go back' residents.

Sometimes I think some people that come here think they are freed from any kind of personal responsibility/laws at all and can just do what the fcuk they like. These types are to be steered clear of and left to their fates as they can't be helped, but you have to watch out for them as they will interject into your world at a moments notice.

This is why I don't ride a motorbike anymore, just too damned dangerous, only drive a pickup now as if some idiot on a bike does something stupid it'll be him that dies, not my wife or me.

In their own countries they probably can't even get close to riding a bike or getting a license as it is so hard.

12 hours on a plane and all reason/sense/respect/dignity goes out the window and it's into fcukwit mode for 2 weeks or a month, they think they are bullet proof.

Of course, not all, but many, many of them. Lambs to the slaughter here on so many fronts, not just this one.

They all forget that places like Thailand are actually pretty dangerous places really, in many ways, and not just physically or financially.



Edit - Typos

[STEVE G]

The Industry Ministry's Industrial Standards Institute is to redesign helmets to suit the local climate...

That has to be a good idea anyway.
Surely with modern advanced materials, a lighter, more airy helmet with more ventilation could be designed for use in countries like Thailand where many accidents happen at relatively low speeds with small scooters.
Perhaps something like a beefed-up mountain bike helmet would be more acceptable.

[E-Dork]

Recently I have been seeing a pleasing amount of road safety adverts on the Thai TV which I can't remember seeing that much of before. I do hope that some serious enforcing of the law takes place on the helmet situation as so many lives are lost day by day. It should be so easy to enforce as, is the Thai way, nobody likes losing a few baht so set up constant checkpoints (not just the end of the month) on all roads for a while until people get the idea. Hit 'em where it hurts - there wallet. Also have proper bloody lids that WILL actually save your life, not just save you a fine.

[Rider]

Recently I have been seeing a pleasing amount of road safety adverts on the Thai TV which I can't remember seeing that much of before. I do hope that some serious enforcing of the law takes place on the helmet situation as so many lives are lost day by day. It should be so easy to enforce as, is the Thai way, nobody likes losing a few baht so set up constant checkpoints (not just the end of the month) on all roads for a while until people get the idea. Hit 'em where it hurts - there wallet. Also have proper bloody lids that WILL actually save your life, not just save you a fine.

That makes me laugh, I've seen plenty of Thai cops themselves not bothering with a helmet. Usually just the forage/peak cap or even nothing at all sometimes.
Yet the table rattlers will make a noise to sound good for the 'international community' and all will be back to normal after a month or so

[usual suspect]

Dr Dave..Soul Montsa (RIP)..once summed-up the need for a crash helmet in 1 simple example/demonstration..
..Hold a water-melon at arms-length/waist height..let it go...
when it hits the road..imagine thats your head..
NUFF SAID..!!

(Classic yesterday was a helmet-less lady holding a baby,riding the 'wrong way' past Stonehead
Tavern on Pekky Rd, & then turning right into Chomsin as the lights had changed to let all the traffic down from the rail-crossing...for once YES, she was stopped by the MIB).

[Big Boy]

(Classic yesterday was a helmet-less lady holding a baby,riding the 'wrong way' past Stonehead
Tavern on Pekky Rd, & then turning right into Chomsin as the lights had changed to let all the traffic down from the rail-crossing...for once YES, she was stopped by the MIB).

Why did she have a faulty indicator light?

That kind of driving is the norn for Thailand.